Protected Oregon's Bull Run Watershed

August 2, 1996: The Senate adopts the Oregon Resources Conservation Act (ORCA), S. 1662, which includes a Wyden proposal to outlaw logging in the 100-square mile area around the Bull Run Reservoir, the chief source of drinking water for Portland's 800,000 residents. The bill also designates Opal Creek, an old growth grove 35 miles east of Salem, as wilderness. ORCA was subsequently included in the omnibus spending legislation passed by Congress later that year.

February 12, 1999: The Siuslaw National Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management announce the availability of $80,000 in funding to support watershed restoration in Oregon. The funding was made possible by the "Wyden Amendment," which allows BLM and the Forest Service to spend federal dollars on adjacent private lands if there is a benefit to the watersheds.

August 20, 2001: The President signed a law protecting the watershed of the Little Sandy River as part of the Bull Run Watershed Management Unit. Sen. Wyden and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) had introduced companion bills in the House and Senate earlier in the year; the Senate had passed a version written by Sen. Wyden in October 2000. The new law expanded the protected area surrounding the Bull Run Watershed Management Unit by 2,890 acres to include the southern portion of the Little Sandy watershed. This resulted in 98,272 acres of protected area, thus safeguarding Portland's primary municipal water supply and preventing the loss of seven miles of potential salmon habitat.

To protect the water quality and quantity for both the Bill Run Watershed and the Little Sandy, timber harvesting is also restricted in the area, except for the protection and maintenance of water supply facilities. The bill also authorization for $10 million for Clackamas County for watershed restoration

Press Releases:
5/31/00 Wyden, Smith, Blumenauer Announce Plan to Safeguard Portland's Drinking Water
10/5/00 Senate Passes Wyden-Smith Bill to Safeguard Portland's Drinking Water